2023 Clos Vougeot

The 2023 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is fleshy and expressive, delivering aromas of smoky berries, orange zest and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, charming and succulent palate. This will offer a broad drinking window.

The 2023 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru has a clean and pure bouquet that perhaps doesn't possess the mineralité and complexity of the Corton Clos de Faiveley. The palate is clean and pure with silky tannins. It's not a powerful Clos Vougeot, yet it's focused and harmonious with a dab of sour cherry on the slightly truncated finish. It was a shorter tasting than usual at Faiveley this year. I was little put out that their Mercurey Framboisière was not shown-an important ambassador in a region accused of unaffordable prices when in reality there are plenty of well-priced wines like this. Fact is, more will enjoy that Mercurey than the Grand Crus. Likewise, I was mystified why the Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges was M.I.A., a cuvée that is synonymous with Faiveley and one touted for promotion. The tasting focused on a selection of Domaine Premier and Grand Crus broadly in line with previous years, but for the record, I hope that Faiveley recognizes the importance of entry-level wines and why I always request tasting entire portfolios, from bottom to the top. Now that I have got that off my chest, it was a pleasure to taste with head winemaker Jerome Floos, overseeing his 17th vintage chez Faiveley. "It was a rollercoaster growing season, sometimes cold and other times warm and dry. In July, it could be like winter, and then in August there was a heatwave before and during the harvest. In Côte Chalonnaise, we gained three degrees of potential alcohol in four days for the whites. Two weeks before the harvest, we were thinking we would have to chaptalize. I ordered 10 tons of sugar for Faiveley 15 days before the harvest, but I only used one-third. In the end, we only had to chaptalize a small amount." Floss went on, "The harvest started in Mercurey on September 7 and finished in Marsannay on September 21. During the day, it was over 30°C and we could not pick in the afternoon, so it was difficult for the pickers. Fortunately, we have a large cooling room that was very important. Plus, we had a large team of pickers, around 240 for the Côte Chalonnaise and the Côte d'Or. The alcohol is 13.5% on average for the reds, 13.2% for the whites. The Premier Crus are raised in 50% new barrel and 50% two-year-old, and Grand Crus are done in 50% new barrel and 50% one-year- old. The volumes are very good: around 45 hl/ha to 50 hl/ha for the reds and between 50 hl/ha and 60 hl/ha for the whites, which can be compared to 2009 or 2018.

Cask sample. Surprisingly pale. Just a little loose but there is some attractive savour (as opposed to sweetness) and some grand cru life to this. Tannin very much in evidence but the wine is persistent and obviously trying hard. (JR)